Color photographic elements typically contain several records each with silver halide sensitized to a different region of the visible light spectrum. Generally, one record is sensitized to red light, another green light and another, blue light. Each of the foregoing records also contains a color coupler which reacts with oxidized developer during processing of the element, to produce a dye in a pattern corresponding to the image to which the element was exposed. In a typical element the red, green and blue sensitive records respectively contain a cyan dye forming coupler, a magenta dye forming coupler and a yellow dye forming coupler. The color couplers are typically provided in the form of droplets of a coupler solution in an organic solvent, which droplets are dispersed in the gel medium (typically gelatin) of the element.
The dyes that are formed by any color coupler during processing have a tendency to fade over time particularly as a result of exposure to light. As all three image dyes of a typical color element fade, this results in overall fading of the image over time. In addition, since the three image dyes may not fade at the same rate, an apparent change in image color also results. Stabilizers are classes of compounds which reduce the foregoing image dye fading problem. Known stabilizers include phenols, bis-phenols, blocked phenols, blocked bis-phenols, metal complexes and other compounds used in conjunction with many different color couplers. Photographic elements containing the foregoing color coupler and stabilizer combinations are described, for example, in EP 0 298 321; EP 0 231 832; EP 0 161 577; EP 0 218 266; EP 0 246 766; U.S. Pat. No. 3,043,697; U.S. Pat. No. 3,700,455; Kokai JP 62043-641, JP 01137-258, JP 01144-048; U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,011 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,748,100.
However, not all of the above types of stabilizers are equally effective at stabilizing all image-dyes. It is desirable then, to provide photographic elements which incorporate stabilizers which are particularly effective at stabilizing the image dyes formed as a result of processing the element.